84% of Vegetarians and Vegans Return to Meat. Why?

Animal activists should emphasize reduction, not elimination, of eating meat.

One of my daughters recently asked me for suggestions on types of meat she might enjoy. I was shocked. A vegetarian for nearly 18 years, she has always found meat, well, icky. In retrospect, I should not have been surprised about her new interest in carnivory. After all, as a researcher, I have studied vegetarians who return to meat. But I never figured she would join the ranks of ex-vegetarians, so I asked her to jot down a few words about why she originally gave up the consumption of flesh and why she now feels compelled to change her veggie ways. Here’s what she wrote….

I stopped eating meat when I was 13. I told my mom and dad that my decision was based on animal welfare and the high carbon footprint of meat. But the truth is that while I theoretically cared about animals and the planet, mostly I just wanted to be different. I lived in a small Southern town where it was more common to see the image of Jesus in a piece of toast than encounter a real live vegetarian. So while my motives weren’t entirely pure, giving up meat certainly made me different: Population of Cullowhee, NC: 9,427 meat eaters and 1 vegetarian.

For the next 17 years, I ate grains, produce, legumes, and fake meat products like those Morningstar bacon strips that have a lower nutritional value than cat food. And for the next 17 years, it seemed like I was always hungry no matter how large my bowl of beans and rice. Even worse than constant hunger, I didn't seem to enjoy food the way other people did. Eating was a chore, like folding laundry or paying bills, but even more annoying because if I didn't do it I would die. I was sick of being hungry, I was sick of beans and rice, and so at the age of 31, I have made a decision: I will try and become a meat-eater.

Thanks to a new study by the Humane Research Council, we now know a lot more about the psychology of why so many vegetarians and vegans, like my daughter, give up their all-veggie ways.

The Methods

The Humane Research Council is a non-profit that uses market research techniques to assess public opinions related to animal issues. Their mission is to provide information animal protection organizations can use to more effectively spread their messages. And for this study, they recruited a group of top flight social scientists to design a survey to examine differences between current and ex-vegetarians and vegans.

The study sample was unique for a couple of reasons. First it was huge – 11,399 adults of all dietary stripes which were recruited from a representative group of Americans maintained by Harris Interactive (part of the company that conducts the highly respected Harris Poll). Second, while not perfectly representative of the American public, it is a much closer representation of the population of the United States than other studies of our collective dietary choices. (While the sample was a bit older, wealthier, more educated, whiter, and more female that the general public, I was more impressed by how diverse it was.)

The Findings:

For anyone interested in the psychology of meat-eating and meat avoidance, the data is a gold mine. Here is a quick overview of some of the more interesting findings

• How Many? - The proportion of true vegetarians and vegans in the United State is surprisingly small. Only about 2% of respondents did not consume any meat – 1.5% were vegetarians and 0.5% were vegans. These finding are generally consistent with other studies.

• Going Back - Five out of six people who give up meat eventually abandon their vegetarian ways.

• Vegans Vs. Vegetarians - Vegans are less like to backslide than vegetarians. While 86% of vegetarians returned to meat, only 70% of vegans did.

• Political views - More than twice as many vegetarians and vegans indicated they were politically liberal rather than said they were conservative.

• Demographics - Compared to current vegetarian/vegans, ex-vegetarians tended to be older, more conservative, and more likely to be traditional Christians. There were no differences in the gender ratios, education, or race/ethnicity of former and current vegetarian/vegans.

• Gender differences - As expected, there were higher proportions of women than men among both present and former meat avoiders. (Nearly every study has found that women are more concerned about animal issues. For a review, see here.)

• Reasons for going veg - Current vegetarians/vegans were considerably more likely than former meat avoiders to say they originally gave up eating meat for reasons of taste, concern for animals, feelings of disgust, social justice, and religious beliefs.

• Health problems - Only 29% of ex-vegetarians/vegans indicated that they experienced specific health-related symptoms while on a no-meat diet.

• Back to veggies? - 37% of ex-vegetarian/vegans indicated that they would be interested in going back to a no-meat diet at some point in the future.

• The purity problem - 43% of ex-vegetarians/vegans said they found it too difficult to be “pure” with their diet.

The Implications: Meat Reduction Is More Effective Than Meat Elimination

The implications of this study are important. Only 2% of Americans do not eat any animal products. (This number has not changed appreciably for 20 years). Further, the fact that five out of six vegetarians go back to eating meat suggests that an all-veggie diet is very hard for most people to maintain over the long haul. Hence, the authors of the report argue that animal protectionists would be better off concentrating their efforts to persuade “the many” to reduce their consumption of flesh than trying to convince “the few” to take the absolutist route and give up meat completely. Sounds right to me.

Post script: In reality, my daughter was not the only vegetarian in her home town when she was a kid. And today she is still a reluctant omnivore. The truth is that she does not like meat very much -- but we did eat a sausage and mushroom pizza for dinner last night.

* * * * * *

The Humane Research Council is one of my go-to sources for accurate information about animal issues. You can access their excellent white papers and subscribe to their research updates at their website. Sign up here. You can read more about findings of the HRC study here.

That's ridiculous. There is no need to starve yourself on a vegetarian or vegan diet. You must have been eating the wrong food if you felt hungry as I certainly don't feel any more hungry than someone who eats meat.

I don't know, these statistics seem a bit off to me because ALOT of people just experiment or try out the vegetarian lifestyle. That is not the same thing. I, personally, have been vegetarian since around 5 yrs old. During High School/College I had several friends try it out only lasting a few months or years. Personally, meat makes me feel sick. Not entirely sure why, but I was thinking that maybe it is because I have not eaten meat in so long that my gut has adjusted to the diet that I have been eating. Probably, if I did eat meat, my body would eventually adjust( not sure though). Once I ate some meat in High School at friend's house because I didn't want to be "different", but I became so sick a few hours later in the night that I threw up and had to go home. That was when I told my friends that I had actually not eaten meat for ten years.

We evolved as omnivores, so your body is genetically adapted to eat meat. However, I'm sure once you abstain from anything long enough your system will need time to re-adjust.
There are people who do better on a vegan diet, and some who do better on a diet which includes meat. It isn't healthy to demand everyone eat the same kind of diet. What does need to change is how we treat the animals we do eat; how they are treated directly impacts us and how healthy our diets really are.

I could have written your post. We now know that chimpanzees and bonobos, our closest genetic relatives, occasionally eat meat and can even be cannibals.

Human beings evolved as omnivores; according to our teeth and our intestines we are DESIGNED to be omnivores. Our intestines are way too short to be truly efficient at breaking down and absorbing plant nutrients, and way too long to be optimized for a carnivore (that's why too much meat in the diet is constipating.) But our bodies actually NEED some nutrients that only come from animal sources.

I agree that its a good thing, and compassionate, for us human beings to treat our food animals well while we raise them and then kill them humanely.

I've watched "Animal Planet" and other TV shows and documentaries about how wild carnivorous animals obtain their meals in their natural habitats, and its not humane AT ALL. Its ghastly.

Lions and other big cats, wolves, hyenas, orca whales, coyotes, crocodiles... are all carnivorous predators, and their prey usually dies a hideously gruesome, terrifying, painful death. Prey animals are often torn to pieces, gutted and devoured while still *alive and screaming.*

Even pet cats will torture mice or birds they catch, often breaking their legs/wings first or puncturing them so they can't get away, then bat them around like cat-toys before eating them. Orca whales "play" with seals, breaking their spines as they toss their "toy" into the air and catch it with their teeth, or toss the seal back and forth to each other like a ball, before eating it.

Surely we already show more kindness to our food animals than a hyena, a cat, or a boa constrictor does? And we can do even better.

Frankly, most of the pure vegans that I know personally do not appear to be particularly healthy. My pure vegan friends all have kind of dull skin and hair, most have dark circles around their eyes, and they all seem to get colds and flus more often than I do. They seem rather tired and listless much of the time, too; almost depressed. My vegetarian friends who also consume milk, cheese, eggs, and sometimes fish seem much, MUCH healthier to me, and have more energy.

My vegetarian friends who also consume milk, cheese, eggs, and sometimes fish seem much, MUCH healthier to me, and have more energy.

You are describing me, vegetarian (defined as you wrote) since 1975, healthy and active, and no desire to change any of it. Maybe I'm an anomaly, maybe not, but I definitely don't fit the profile described in the article.

The reason 'vegan' had to be invented is because people were eating animal by-products and calling themselves 'vegetarian'. You are right that there are different kinds of vegetarians and the have gained names for their specific habits; ovo-lacto-for dairy and egg consumers, pescetarian for those who include fish, etc. I believe the focus of this article is people who have given up animal flesh in their diets. I hope that helps. I was vegan for the last year, and it was fine for a while, but I find I need to re-think my consumption habits. I still will consume a much reduced amount of animal flesh (pre-vegan I had beef, chicken or fish daily and LOTS of cheese), but will probably include more animal products, seldomly.

I have been a vegetarian all my life, no intentions to change it, infact I may become vegan. I am healthy and fit and I know lots of other vegetarians that are healthy and fit. This whole idea of vegans having poor health, and that meat is a neccessity, is ridiculous! People who want to eat meat for their taste buds making excuses. the so called vegetarians who go back to eating meat, were clearly just doing it to be "different" as you also mentioned that was your primary reason for turning vegetarian.

I totally agree with you. Most vegans don't become vegans for health reasons though. They do it for animal welfare and environmental reasons. Most meateaters refuse to give up meat because they are addicted to the taste of animal flesh like a smoker is addicted to cigarettes. They are selfish people.

I've been on a plant based diet for 5 months now (actually once I've had a salmon pate, and an omelette, and a couple of times there was feta cheese in my salad). So you can say I've been 99.99% vegan.

What made me do it? I've given it a thought in the past. Can't remember now why I thought about it. And then I read somewhere that a UFC heavy weight fighter Frank Mir was a vegan (don't think he is anymore). But then I always thought well he is a fighter, makes enough money and has sponsors, so he can afford to suplement his diet and maintain being a vegan. I thought I would give it a try, but being pretty athletic at 6'4 and 220 pounds I didn't think it was something I could afford. Then I hurt my knees and was not able to play sports and do as much cardio, so it was mostly weights for me at the gym. Conventionally, you would think more weights means more protein. So I started eating even more meat. I also started gaining weight, and it wasn't muscle. I thought about reducing fat in my diet. I had already eliminated processed meat products such as sausages and hot dogs. I get sick just thinking about them, as I felt weak and sick after eating those for breakfast. I think they were just destroying my immune system. Then I stopped eating eggs. I found that an oat meal is a much better breakfast option. I started decreasing the meat consumption, until it was completely eliminated.

The breaking point to completely stop eating meat was finally accepting where it came from. A few years ago I was helping my uncle with slaughtering chickens. He was actually cutting their heads off and I was helping him clean them. I thought they died a clean and painless death, as he was pretty good at it. And even though I still stank for the next day, the thing that disutrbed me the most was the sight of the crammed chicken barn. I felt sorry for those chickens that they had to live in those conditions. It didn't feel humane at all. And it was five months ago when I finally realized and accepted that this is a common and widespread practice of farming animals, so I instataniously gave up animal based foods. Movies such as Earthlings and other clips you can find on the internet have even shown some even worse things what these animals go through. So five months later I can confidently say that I don't need any animal based foods. I feel that I am in a better shape, my energy level is better. I don't feel as tired like I used to. I dont miss the flavour of meat at all. Never had cravings meat actually. I stuffed myself with it thinking it is something I really need, but it felt more like a chore than an enjoyment. Digessting meat is a tiring process and consumes a lot of energy. On a plant based diet I can eat and I feel full of energy. I didn't feel that before. I always needed to rest after eating.

This study shows that 29% of vegans go back to meat because of health issues. And you claim that you have friends (plural) who are vegan and vegetarians and also have health issues. First of all knowing someone who belongs to 2% of the population is not very likely. It is even less likely to have someone as a friend from that population. Odds are becoming way more slimmer as you narrow it down to 29% of the 2%. And then to have more than one friend belonging to 29% of the 2% population is highgly doubtful. I still have yet to meet another vegan.

You mentioned how it would be better if animals we eat were treated better. Most people say that, and still end up consuming factory farmed products. Even some free range and free run farms are not entirely humane. Most people say they are compationate but it's their desire to be satisfied by food, in other words gluttony, that is stronger than their compassion. It is because their selfishness, arrogance and ignorance that billions of living creatures are suffering and the planet is getting destroyed. In fact people don't have to completely eliminate meat. They can still be occasional omnivores in order to maintain living healthy if can't get all the nutrients from plants. They can eliminate enough and use only what they truly need so that the environment can be protected and suffering eliminated. I think this should be more than reasonable to accept.

I think your perspective is so hardened e.g. We NEED meat, due to the just world phenomenon. It is very very clear that we do not NEED meat at all. It's a choice. If you choose to eat meat, at least recognise it as much as opposed to a being a self determined evolutionary/biological scientist to justify your response. Have a good day

Humans (in general) are adapted to be omnivores. For literally millions of years. It's a biological adaptation. It's very clear that most people thrive on a whole foods omnivorous diet, and many people do not thrive on a strict vegan diet.

I disagree with you about saying we are omnivores, especially in regard to our teeth as they have a similar structure to a horse or chimpanzee. Bonobos may eat meat occasionally but it's certainly not on a daily basis like humans eating an omnivore diet do. Our teeth and gut is designed to eat a majority of plant material, not meat. The Western diet is certainly unhealthy for us. The higher the amount of meat that is consumed the more chronic diseases appear, like diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

I eat a predominantly vegan diet and I certainly am not unhealthier than someone who consumes meat. Just the opposite as I am not constipated anymore, I sleep better, my skin and hair is better and the eczema I suffered from since I was a child has gone after I gave up dairy milk.

"But our bodies actually NEED some nutrients that only come from animal sources."

This line gets repeated all the time and I just can't figure out why. Are there humans who have no animal products in their diets that have lived long, healthy lives? That's rhetorical, of course. If people do it, then it's possible. To say, and even capitalize that we NEED to eat animal products is demonstrably wrong....since there are humans, old humans, walking the earth that didn't. Even b-12 is possible to get since animals don't actually even produce the stuff. It's just transferred from the dirt anyway. I just can't understand how people can say something is a FACT when there is evidence all around them that it's not. Eat meat, don't eat meat, dairy, whatever. I don't care. I do care about people spouting off "facts" when the demonstrable evidence says something else.

My situation is pretty much like your.I'm now 31 yrs old.I've been a natural vegetarian since the age of 4 and the first time after 28 yrs existen I've eating a bit of chicken/ pork out of my family gathering offer!After a while my organ were react so weid and I've gotten sick for 2 days after.That's it for me and since 23 months have been a vegan eliminate the dairy and eggs I've felt like a rebirth person!I'd though it's all come down to the individual choices.Some people could eliminated beefs/ pork and still feel healthy eating birds e.t....

I will sum this up in short version: one i can't eat meat it makes me vary sick and throwing up for days. I have eliminated everyone food group and then reintroduced them to my diet once again. And every time same reaction. So i will not be eating meat. Second my husband by choice became a veg in 1987 he has high cholesterol and has since he was a child. eating vegetarian keeps his cholesterol and a decent level and he has always wieghed around a hundred pounds his whole life. I do not believe you have talked to everyone and you do not have you facts correct. So please get your facts correct before you post something like this Thanks

But...the sample size was over 11,000 people. That says a lot. Your anecdotal evidence of meat making you sick is surely represented in this sample, but it is not the standard for every vegetarian and vegan.

I was vegan for 2 years and when I started consuming dairy and meat again I had some gastrointestinal issues as well. Especially with dairy. If you've been vegetarian your whole life your body just isn't used to digesting meat. That's not a good reason to throw out an entire study.

I would like to point out that being on a vegetarian diet is more than on being on a bowl of beans and rice. Here in United States people just think about boiled bland vegetables when they think about being a vegetarian.
Many people in different parts of the world live on vegetarian food and have lived healthy, long lives. There are 1000s of varieties that can be made with different vegetables. So, I think if we find different ways to cook our vegetables and make them interesting one can be and will be an vegetarian for life.

I cannot stand the taste of vegetables, particularly green veggies. The only way I'll eat any sort of vegetable is if they are cooked in a stew or soup with meat can't eat them by themselves. I've tried veggies of all types cooked in different ways. I can tolerate lettuce, raw broccoli, and asparagus cooked with lemon pepper. If there isn't something to drown the flavor of some veggies it makes me sick. I don't know if it's some sort of sugar in the veggies or maybe even chlorophyll but I can't stand the taste of it. And it's not that I've just tried them one time but on multiple occasions. Made a green bean casserole with cream of chicken soup instead of mushroom (can't stand mushrooms either) for Thanksgiving, took everything i had to keep myself from vomiting all I tasted was the green beans. I don't like beans of any sort, not even jelly beans. Only nuts I'll eat are peanuts and most recently almonds, all other types make me gag. So I'm mostly a carnivore for the same reason most vegetarians are vegetarians, veggies make me sick.

Hi, I understand more than anyone hating the taste of veggies, and I also hate the taste of fruits. I also dislike beans and rice. Until a few years ago, the only veggie I've had was the fries accompanied by burgers, the ones in kebabs or the mash potatoes that come with schnitzel. As for fruits, I don't even remember. Then one day I watched Earthlings and started researching, so I became a vegan for ethical and environmental reasons. All of a sudden I became forced to look into tasty ways of cooking plant-based and I now have plant-based homemade burgers, pizzas, quesadillas, burritos, my country's traditional food and I've never loved the taste more in my life. Today I just made Indian Aloo Gobi...yum! All this while losing weight and solving health issues. My cholesterol is now great, my dark circles under my eyes almost gone, my binge eating disorder over, I now like to bike and sleep good and enjoy life. I even like raw Romanian traditional food... don't know how it turned out so good 4 me... even my depression is almost gone. Food never tasted so good, why did I waste 27 years of my life eating crap that made me gain weight and feel bloated...? Sure, you can cook meat in a healthy way but, let's face it, most people love meat in it's unhealthy form. Who knew that by eating plants one can cure food addiction... I started being a vegan thinking about the victims who die unnecessarily, not expecting any benefits, not expecting to like to wake up with a huge fruit salad and almond milk with cinnamon. Life is unpredictable, people are different, I just wish for everyone to find their path to happiness and to leaving this world a better place for the future generations. I'm just so grateful it turned so good for me so far... Warm regards to everyone from Lori.

"For the next 17 years, I ate grains, produce, legumes, and fake meat products like those Morningstar bacon strips that have a lower nutritional value"

Like many young vegetarians, she didn't eat her vegetables. That sentence should have read:
"For the next 17 years I ate produce which has a higher nutritional value"
If she had increased the proportion of her calorie intake to be a high percentage unprocessed, fresh vegetables and some fruits (nuts and legumes are good too, but not so many calories that they crowd out the vegetables), she would have been healthy and she definitely wouldn't have been hungry.

"The Implications: Meat Reduction Is More Effective Than Meat Elimination"
That should read:
"The Implications: Increased Vegetable Consumption Is More Effective Than Meat Elimination"
There are reasons to think eating meat is bad. But there are more compelling reasons to think eating vegetables is good. Increase the proportion of your calories that come from fresh vegetables (and fruits).

Not necessarily true. I was vegan for 2 years and ate a huge variety of proteins, grains, and veggies. I learned way more about cooking (including ethnic fare) as a vegan than I could have learned any other way, and I'm beyond grateful for the experience.

But the first time I felt sated in those two years was the first time I added chicken to a salad. I would eat huge mixed greens salads with black beans and quinoa thrown in (and/or nuts, depending on the flavor I was going for), but I'd be hungry an hour and a half later. The first time I added chicken (about 1/2 a breast) I wasn't hungry for at least three hours. I realized that I need some kind of animal protein in my diet or I don't feel full.

All that said, I agree with the last paragraph you posted. It should be less about eliminating meat and more about increasing produce and legume consumption. Adding a variety of legumes and grains to my diet had the simple effect of making food (and cooking) more interesting and fun, and it made me care way more about my diet.

Interesting topic. I became a vegetarian when I was 10 years old because I really loved animals and did not want them to die because of me. I stayed veggie for a couple of years, but went back to eating meat at age 14. I regretted it quite often because I always felt guilty about it. We all know how animals are kept nowadays before brutally being killed (most often when they're still babies). This has nothing to do with animals who hunt other animals. What we humans do is absolutely disgusting.
So, at age 15, I went back to a vegetarian diet. After one year, I decided to go vegan out of ethical reasons (animal welfare, environmental issues). Now, I've been a vegan for more than one and a half years and I really can't imagine going back to a vegetarian diet or ever eating meat again. Being vegan just makes me feel good because I know that I do something that's right. There's no need for guilt anymore.
Most people who go back to eating meat or dairy products probably just don't know how to really be vegan. Vegans are not just eating fruits and vegetables all day long. You have to be open-minded and try out new things. Then it's easy-peasy to stay vegan!

I feel for the vegetarians and vegans , though I eat meat .
If you accept the TRUTH about the global flood you would have a little more understanding why.
Me personally understand the little I do about that the "food" that you put in your mouth is not real food . Jesus Christ said His meat was to do the will of the Eternal Father .

See something happened probably because of the sin condition of mankind that led the Creator to take some natural strength away from plants and fruits after the flood that would mean they were not enough . Because before the worldwide flood plants and fruits and seeds were enough for man to live off of . Still can be today if the surrounding environment is RIGHT .

Me personally I DO NOT like to eat meat , but I RECEIVE it with total thanksgiving to Jesus Christ for providing such MARVELOUS creators for our benefit . Until our Creator provides conditions that are right to become a non meat eater , I will be thankful I am not starving .

It is a total personal thing to give up meat and I would suggest any who come back to meat , you do NOT have to eat much of it . Just REMEMBER to give whole heartily thanks unto the ONE who provides

Hi, I respect your fear of God and your point of view but there is something I don't understand. Have you ever seen Earthlings? How can a loving God allow people to treat his creatures like that...? Sending you all my best.

We all have free will. Don't blame God for what we do. Read a book and open your mind. Vegan ism is about truth. Jesus said he was the truth the light and the way. Knowing him is to know truth. The truth is I myself cannot kill an animal like that while knowing there are MANY other options that don't contribute to the suffering of innocent animals. Live in fear and allow the cancer to grow. Or expose it with the truth. The truth may seem scary. But it is the truth that will set you free.

REAL Christians are omnivores and going against The Food Chain and The Food Cycle, both of which were made by YAHWEH EL ELOHIM Himself, makes YOU not only a sinner, but that you are also acting in rebellion against YAHWEH EL ELOHIM, it makes you a servant of Lucifer, and it also is insulting to YAHWEH EL ELOHIM, period, full stop. Yes, animals are cute and cuddly, but in reality, when that stomach growls and you have no vegetables, fruits, or nuts to eat, what will you do in your life if your prayers do not get you that manna or a miraculous serving of fruits, vegetables, or nuts to eat?

I am of the belief that most people don't fully understand what a vegetarian or vegan diet is nor do they have proper access to information on how to eat a healthy plant-based diet. We already know this information is not being provided in schools or by the government.

Moreover, similar to others who have commented, I also call to question the validity of the statistics. For example, what determined the people represented in the study as "former vegetarians" as vegetarians initially?

Finally, as a vegetarian for many years, I have no desire to consume animals, I am healthier than most people that I know, and I willingly and happily consume a plant-based diet. Anyone else could experience the same.

Indian food is delightful. Cream sauces with curry and wonderful spicy flavors give me every bit as much pleasure as anyone else ever seems to have from eating. To be fair this is not a vegan option.

I'm never very hungry after a latte; caffeine kills the appetite, but protein is filling. In combination, my hunger goes away for a while. I have to make more effort than other people to get enough protein, but it isn't hard. A shake or a Greek yogurt with some yummy berries make a filling snack.

Yeah, I figured this out about Vegetarians/vegans when I was a kid. They could never get their story straight about why they didn't eat meat.

It was either "animal welfare," or "health" depending on the argument of the moment.

But when confronted about the unhealthy aspects of their diet, or the absurdity of trying to police the animal kingdom, they waffled like a politician on crack.

What I eventually figured out was that what really drove them was simply a juvenile need to feel vaguely superior to everyone else. It was a passive-aggressive way of beating their chest and playing holier than thou games with the rest of us.

...animals are DEEEE-LICIOUS! Meat tastes great, particularly beef raised in Argentina; its just mouth-wateringly savory and fork-tender. I like my steaks very rare. And I love all kinds of seafood, and poultry. Not that much of a pork lover, though. I tried venison, but didn't like it. I've never tried rabbit.

And I'm perfectly prepared and willing to be consumed myself when I die; bacteria, molds, fungus, beetles and other insects, and worms will eat me. My meat, my organs and my bones will become compost. Its just that right now, and for perhaps another decade, its my turn to be the eater. But I'm probably incredibly delicious and very tender, myself.

I will be a gourmet banquet for lots and lots of critters when I die.

Its not wrong or bad or immoral or inhumane to eat our fellow animals, or to allow our fellow animals to eat us; its just about taking turns.

Reading your post I get the impression you were starving while writing it... Didn't someone say eating meat satiates your appetite for longer?? Well, apparently, that's not the case with you, self proclaiming deliciously-tasting lady. Funny (or tragic) thing is, when 'it's your turn to be eaten' as you put it, you'll more likely be a feast to your own maggots and I very much doubt you'll be that delicious, especially if you die out of old age and you have turned into a bag of hard wrinkly skin and aging organs. So I have a better idea, perhaps more true to your'concept' (assuming there is one and you didn't just write this post to let the world know what types of animals your taste buds approve of and how tasty your body would be if one cared to eat it). Why don't you go to a jungle... Or a lake full of piranhas.. or a shark infested seaside and become food to hungry animals NOW?

In nature, older and sick animals are the usual prey. So I think too that our meat will be great for carrion eaters.
Also I had a different impression about the topic of deliciousness of the meat. I think you have mistaken the enthusiasm about something a person likes very much for hunger. And that is kind of strange. It seems that you are not able to comprehend the hedonistic aspect of eating.

I have been a vegetarian for 7 years and ''on-off'' vegan (vegan at home, vegetarian when i visit people) for over a year, and I can assure you vegan cuisine is flavorfull and healthy. I do sports regularly and have no trouble getting enough protein (or any other nutrient)
I think the person in the example lacked information about nutrition and recipes.
As for the 84% ex vegetarians....Is this study counting all the people who were vegeterian for a few months out of curiosity or for a dare?

I was attracted to read this article because I follow on the "back to meat after vegetarian" category.
I grew up eating meat, (here I want to say that the term "carnivore" does sound like a caveman that will never chew a vegetable or fruit, it seem a bit extreme)a very balanced diet. I have always liked vegetables more than anything, so at age 29 decided to quit meat and dairy because pretty much I always prefer vegetables than meat or fruit. Then at age 29 I had my first depression.
I realized in 3 years of being vegetarian of all the movement around ethical treatment of animals and lowering the carbon footprint. I wasn't aware of this from the beginning, but I was glad of doing something ethical for the environment.
After 3 years of extreme mood swings, struggling with depression and lack of energy, I decided to incorporate meat 1 day a week in my diet. I can definitively see and feel a big difference in my energy and mood.
I like to tell this story to my friends, not to discourage them, but make them aware that it might or might not work for everybody.
What I think the article does get right is about lowering but not eliminating. I am still compromised to lower the carbon footprint and to the ethical treatment of animals, and I will get my meat certified organic.
It doesn't have to be all black or white.

Do not be deceived by the large sample size. Many people call themselves vegetarians even if they occasionally eat fish or other meat; people experiment with dietary choices; they eat meat socially; etc. The fact that many people were included does not mean that there was a representative sample of all kinds of dietary choices or all vegetarians.

I have lived in places where vegetarianism and experimentation with is very common. I have also been a vegetarian for over a decade. My sense is that some people are more pre-disposed than others to liking or wanting meat. Also, many of these same people (who try at one point or another to do a vegetarian or vegan diet) can't cut it and see it as some kind of moral failing. This is a long way of saying that the numbers, in addition to their flaws, do not tell enough of the story.

Meat reduction is important for everyone and for the planet. But the idea that people cannot eliminate meat for good seems like a resignation.

Do not be deceived by the large sample size. Many people call themselves vegetarians even if they occasionally eat fish or other meat; people experiment with dietary choices; they eat meat socially; etc. The fact that many people were included does not mean that there was a representative sample of all kinds of dietary choices or all vegetarians.

To say that a person who renounces meat and fish for some months, then switch back was "not a vegetarian" during those months, looks like the No True Scotsman fallacy to me.

You could say that all the study does is say most meat eaters who go vegetarianism as quick idea return to meat. I find the whole study suspect. Mainly because they define a vegetarian as anyone who declares themselves so, as opposed to someone who has been so for over 5 years say. (Which would have been more scientifically accurate for a study like this) Obviously you are going to get the higher significant number - 84% - if you do the study with this unscientific self reporting of being a vegetarian. The study would have much much lower number (and more accurate in my opinion) if you took those that have been a vegetarian for say 5 years - enough to really be called a vegetarian and not doing it as a short fad. Again done this unscientific way, I could get the same results in reverse, 84% of meat eaters return to vegetarianism, - simply by asking a vegetarian who cheat once and eat me that I was in front of, who would have to admit they were a meat eater at that moment, and then soon returned back. Yes just a thought experiment but shows that describing someone as being something means something - and a quick self report is not scientific.

They described what their study was, so it was not suspect. It was up front. It may not have been what you wanted to see studied, but it was a legitimate cross section as defined by their study.

The biggest difficulty, as has been studied, is that over 66% of those who claim to be vegetarian (even a commenter above mentioned this), eat meat. I say over 66%, because a poll was done over the phone.

They called thousands of people, and asked if they were vegetarian (among other things), then a week later called everyone back and asked what they had ate in the last 24 hours. They may have been more meat eating vegetarians had they gone back longer than 24 hours.

I cannot speak for the vegetarians, but if someone turns their back on veganism, that person was never a vegan to begin with, because veganism is not a diet; it is a worldview, a deep ethic for compassion that respect for our fellow Earthlings -- once you grasp what they go through, that they feel pain and suffering and have lives of their own, that they are somebodies, not somethings -- you can't go back without inflicting severe damage on your soul. It's not possible. It does not happens. So those people who merely abstain from animal products for health reasons -- there are not a lot of them relative to ethical vegans, who are the vast majority of vegans -- we would say they are not real vegans to begin with, because veganism is so much more than diet. It is an ethical stance. And technically speaking, 100% of human beings are vegans when they are born and deviate to carnism -- little children love animals but they learn to look down on them -- like racism, speciesism is taught, it is socially conditioned. So your headline should read "100% of carnists were originally vegans" or "98% of the population abandons veganism in early childhood." Except that some of us find our way back to it.